Thabang Sesinyi scored to give Jwaneng Galaxy of Botswana a stunning 1-0 away victory over Wydad Casablanca of Morocco on Saturday in a CAF Champions League first-round group match.
Sesinyi followed up scoring twice in qualifiers by netting on 33 minutes with a chip over goalkeeper Youssef el Motie after intercepting a weak back pass in Marrakesh.
It was the second setback for three-time African champions Wydad during November after losing the final of the inaugural African Football League to Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa.
🇲🇦🇧🇼
— CAFMEDIA (@Nadori_Z) November 25, 2023
CAF Champions League
33': ⚽️ Galaxy FC! Thabang Sesinyi#DimaWydad #Wydad #Botswana pic.twitter.com/PnPQq7iH7J
Jwaneng upset Vipers of Uganda and Orlando Pirates of South Africa this season to reach the 16-team group stage of the premier African club competition.
But the minnows were given no chance of preventing annual Champions League title contenders Wydad starting their Group B campaign with a victory.
When the Botswana outfit reached the group stage once before in 2022, they struggled and secured only one point from a possible 18.
Victory for Jwaneng took them to the top of the table, two points ahead of Simba of Tanzania and ASEC Mimosas of the Ivory Coast, who drew 1-1 in Dar es Salaam.
Burundian Saidi Ntibazonkiza converted a penalty just before halftime for the hosts and Serge Pokou equalised on 77 minutes with his third goal of the campaign.
GoaL! | Simba SC 1-0 ASEC Mimosas | Saidi Ntibazonkizapic.twitter.com/NOvV3w4ogs
— FootColic ⚽️ (@FootColic) November 25, 2023
GoaL! | Simba SC 1-1 ASEC Mimosas | Serge Pokoupic.twitter.com/WJx5ZRTU6S
— FootColic ⚽️ (@FootColic) November 25, 2023
Champions League title-holders and record 11-time winners Al Ahly of Egypt clicked in the second half to defeat group debutants Medeama of Ghana 3-0 in Cairo.
Mahmoud Kahraba and substitute Salah Mohsen scored off second-half headers and, between those goals, Hussein el Shahat netted with an angled shot.
Al-Ahly démarre bien la Ligue des Champions Africaine avec ce but de Mahmoud Kahraba contre Medeama ! 🦅🇪🇬 pic.twitter.com/JNnyDNOGlV
— 𝑭𝒐𝒐𝒕 𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒓𝒚 🇵🇸 (@Foot_Masry) November 25, 2023
GOAL
— ⬅️ Maguire's people (@JoySportsGH) November 25, 2023
Salah Mohsen makes it three for Ahly.
88’ Al Ahly 3-0 Medeama#JoySports pic.twitter.com/0vFpLPzL6f
Ahly share first place in Group D with Chabab Belouizdad of Algeria, who overcame Young Africans of Tanzania 3-0 in Algiers on Friday.
Esperance ended an 11-match unbeaten run in all competitions by fellow Tunisian outfit Etoile Sahel with a 2-0 Group C win in Rades through goals by Brazilian Yan Sasse and Yassine Meriah.
Petro Luanda of Angola edged Al Hilal of Sudan 1-0 in the other Group C match with Inacio Miguel the 37th-minute matchwinner.
Matchday one finishes on Sunday when Sundowns host Nouadhibou of Mauritania in Group A in Pretoria.